Line of Duty Deaths Database

William H. Collins
Name
William H. Collins
Local
L0263, Medicine Hat
Gender
Male
Age
58
District
06
Occupation
Captain
Type of Duty
Responding/Returning
Fatal Injury Cause
Fell/Slipped - Fell on Icy Surface
Nature of Fatal Injury
Other/Miscellaneous - Crushed
Date of Death
1/30/1948
Year Placed On Wall
2015
Multiple Line of Duty Incident
No information available
Name
City/State
Date
Summary
Hide
Website Comments
Hide
Biographical Comments
Captain William Henry Collins, 58, of the local fire department, died in hospital at 12:05am as a result of injuries sustained in answering an alarm Friday. Captain Collins, one of the oldest active members of the Medicine Hat Brigade, was taken to General Hospital shortly after the noon hour Friday, and died from brain concussion and shock.

The fire captain lost his balance while standing on the running board of the fire truck to direct the connecting of a hose to a water hydrant. Captain Collins is believed to have lost his balance when the driver changed gears to continue toward the blaze following the hose hook-up. When he fell he went into a roll to try to protect his body from being run over. It is believed the rear wheel of the vehicle passed over his hand and ankle causing a large bump on the fist and chipping the bone of the right ankle.

The veteran firefighter, who was completing his 28th year with the local brigade, suffered concussion and other head and body injuries and died 12 hours after the accident. An emergency head operation was performed in a vain effort to save his life.
Additional Resources
Back to Top